Get out and enjoy autumn! We share our favorite “pick-your-own” apple orchards in Columbus

Who doesn’t like a sharp, crisp apple plucked right from the tree? Or a chubby orange pumpkin that you and your kids picked off the vine?
September and October are ideal for orchard trips, and pumpkin picking begins in late September and stretches until Halloween. Here’s a few apple orchards in Columbus where you can quench your appetite for Johnny Appleseed’s favorite fruit, a potential jack-o’-lantern, or both — as well as wander through well-stocked farm markets.

1. Lynd Fruit Farm offers a wide variety of tart to sweet apples for picking from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. Lynd provides bags and encourages pickers of all ages to stuff them full. Lynd also has a pumpkin patch that opens in late September.Morse Road and state Route 310, Pataskala

3. The Orchard & Co. has U-pick apples on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 30. Once you’ve had your apple fill, send the kids off to the orchard’s zip line, gem mine and pedal car track.7255 U.S. Highway 42, Plain City

4. Hidden Creek Farms’ annual fall festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, from Sept. 17 to Oct. 30. The $7 admission (free for children under 2) includes a hayride to the pumpkin patch, a pumpkin slide, a straw maze, and visits with live farm animals. Pumpkins are an additional charge.581 S. Galena Road, Sunbury

5. Jacquemin Farms’ Fall Field Days are not to be missed. The 15-acre pumpkin patch is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 31. Hit the Kiddie Playland’s straw maze, grain boxes and huge air toys, or just catch a hayride on the weekend.7437 Hyland Croy Road, Plain City